McLaren pair face uphill task

Lewis Hamilton on Sunday faces the ultimate balancing act as his desperate desire for victory will challenge the born racer that resides within

Lewis Hamilton on Sunday faces the ultimate balancing act as his desperate desire for victory will challenge the born racer that resides within.

The belief at McLaren that they had finally caught title rivals Red Bull and Ferrari was cruelly crushed in qualifying as Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button will start fourth and seventh for Sunday's inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who also has Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in front of him, knows he cannot afford to finish behind the trio at the end of the race, especially as he trails championship leader Webber by 28 points.

u00a0Hamilton and Button

"I definitely hope I've learned from the experiences of the last few races, so tomorrow I won't be making any silly, aggressive, opportunistic kind of moves," said Hamilton.

For reigning champion Button, who is 31 points adrift of Webber, he knows he is coming to the end of the road in terms of retaining his title.

Asked about his chances now, Button replied: "Very difficult. It's not over, but it's made a lot more difficult with the Red Bulls on the front row, which is surprising really."